“Yesterday’s” Comic> Amelia Rules #0 FCBD

Amelia Rules #0

also featuring WJHC

Renaissance Press (2005, for Free Comic Book Day)

The main story focuses on Amelia McBride, a fifth grader forced to move from New York to live with her aunt during her parents’ divorce. Here she meets Rhonda, Reggie, and “Pajamaman”, three local kids who also play superhero, Miss Magnificent, Captain Amazing, and Pajamaman (apparently that’s what everyone calls him) respectively, against the neighborhood bullies. Rhonda tries to sabotage the “new girl’s” attempt to join the group until she learns Amelia’s current misfortune, and soon the Gathering of Awesome Super Pals welcomes Amelia…I mean Princess Powerful into their ranks.

The backup story, WJHC:  “Between The Stacks, centers on a group of kids from their high school’s radio station (how come I never had anything that cool when I was in school?) preparing to broadcast from the town library when they’re accidentally locked in. One of the team takes the opportunity to show his classmates how great the library can be.

Both stories are part of an initiative called “Kids Love Comics“, working to develop and promote comics for kids. WJHC is a great comic to promote libraries and I like the characters and art style. (I think there are even hints of it in one of the styles you see in Jake & Leon skits.) The standout is of course the title comic, and quite frankly if you’re not fighting back tears at some point you need to find your soul, because I think you lost it somewhere. The characters are great and you really get to like them almost instantly.

I don’t know if either story is available in any of the collected volumes but if you come across this comic I highly recommend it, especially to a kid going through a divorce (or even just being a kid) or to show how great a library can be.

Up Next: Best Scene of This Week’s Reviews in the Weekly Wrap-Up.